Welcome to the newest edition of the RSGS e-news! In this e-newsletter we update you on some of our most recent releases, awards and upcoming events.
We are very excited to share that on 15th September we will be hosting An Evening With Col John Blashford-Snell on Zoom where we will be screening a pre-recorded interview and hosting a live Q&A. We give an update on our Inspiring People talks programme for 2021-22 highlighting some of the brilliant speakers that we have for this programme.
We announce that Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP launched our new book James Croll and his Adventures in Climate and Time and let you know about our most recent awards including an Honorary Fellowship to Louise Macdonald OBE, FRSE. Finally we give an update on our Meet the Experts events where we presented an Honorary Fellowship to Professor Jim Skea and the President's Medal to Professor Dave Reay.
An Evening with Col John Blashford-Snell
We are delighted to announce that on Wednesday 15th September at 7:30pm we will be hosting An Evening with Col John Blashford-Snell, the legendary explorer known for inventing white water rafting and undertaking expeditions such as the descent of the Blue Nile and transporting a grand piano through the jungle as a gift to the musical Wai Wai tribe in Guyana.
We had the privilege of filming an in-person interview between Col John Blashford-Snell and Dr Vanessa Collingridge where they discussed his life and many extraordinary adventures. We will be screening this pre-recorded interview at the event and following with a live Q&A with the man himself. Tickets to this event will be made available soon and an email detailing where they can be purchased will follow.
Inspiring People 2021-22
We have been working diligently to pull together our Inspiring People talks programme for 2021-22, set to commence on 22nd September. Our 2021-22 programme features an array of fascinating speakers focusing on different exciting topics. We will be using a mixture of online and in-person talks because of venue and other restrictions. Speakers for this programme include: cave diver Jill Heinerth who will share stories from expeditions into caves from Antarctica and Bermuda to the Bahamas; Scottish mountain climber and polar explorer Myrtle Simpson on her life of adventures; acclaimed landscape photographer Colin Prior on the ice mountains of the Karakoram; explorer, adventurer, writer and filmmaker Benedict Allen, and adventure kayaker Sal Montgomery. These amazing speakers make up only a handful of those we have lined up and we look forward to releasing our full programme soon.
John Swinney launches Croll Book
Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP officially launched our new book James Croll and his Adventures in Climate and Time in Wolfhill, the Perthshire birthplace of James Croll. The book, written by Jo Woolf and illustrated by Dylan Gibson, brings the story of Scotland’s first climate scientist to life with energy and colour. John Swinney said “James Croll’s research into climate change was ground breaking, and inspired generations of scientists in the decades that followed. It is a source of enormous local pride that a man who has contributed so profoundly to our collective understanding of the world was born in Perthshire, and I am therefore delighted to support the publication of this book.”
Our brilliant new book is available to buy at www.rsgs.org/shop/james-croll-and-his-adventures-in-climate-and-time
Louise Macdonald FRSGS
Louise Macdonald being awarded her Honorary Fellowship by RSGS CEO Mike Robinson
On 21st July 2021 we were delighted to present RSGS Honorary Fellowship to Louise Macdonald OBE, FRSE for her invaluable contributions to championing women, young people and the environment. Louise is the first woman to hold the position of National Director at the Institute of Directors Scotland and previously held the position of CEO at Young Scot for twelve years. Louise is an independent co-chair of the Scottish Government National Advisory Council on Women and Girls in which she has advocated the importance of intersectional gender equality for all in Scotland, and is a founder of the 2050 Climate Group, developed to empower young people to take action to tackle the climate crisis. Throughout her career, she has devotedly worked towards Scotland’s development by promoting opportunities for young people and women, and has highlighted the importance of climate action.
Meet the Experts
Since our last e-newsletter we have hosted two successful Meet the Experts events. For our first event we were joined by Professor Jim Skea and Professor Iain Black and explored the significance of policymaking around the just transition for businesses and organisations in Scotland. At our most recent event, we were joined by RSGS President Professor Iain Stewart and Professor Dave Reay from the University of Edinburgh, discussing learning and upskilling for the transition to Net Zero.
Our Meet the Experts events also gave us the opportunity to present some awards. We were delighted to present Professor Jim Skea (shown left above) with an RSGS Honorary Fellowship and Professor Dave Reay (shown right above) with our President's Medal. We offer our congratulations to both!
These Meet the Experts events will continue to run monthly; aimed at CPD for participants in the Climate Solutions course, but they are also available to members and the public. Follow us on social media for updates about our upcoming events!
